Baby Monarch Butterflies are Cute Caterpillars!

Who is that peeking out from behind the leaf? Only one of the cutest little bugs there is – a tiny baby monarch butterfly! “But Zookeeper Joe!” you say “That doesn’t look like a butterfly!” But it is actually a baby butterfly, or a caterpillar! Without wings and all fat and wormy-like, these little caterpillars sure look funny! How do they turn into the beautiful orange and black monarchs you’re used to seeing fluttering around parks and backyards all over the countryside? Well, these adorable baby caterpillars spend the early days of their lives crawling with little tiny suction feet all over plants and leaves, munching on greenery for sustenance until they are strong enough to build a cocoon. These little bugs spin a weblike material from their bodies that wraps them tight to protect them from the elements as they undergo a transformation (also known as a metamorphosis – where an animal’s body goes through a tremendous change in structure). When they emerge weeks later, it’s as a beautiful monarch butterfly. If we’re telling the truth, we prefer these awesome bugs just the way they are, cute and tiny! But the big floppy wings are pretty cool too.